


Broken Loops and Mended Dreams

by agent85



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Cameos, F/M, Reunions, post 5x22, space, spoilers ahoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 00:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agent85/pseuds/agent85
Summary: She's had time. The Zephyr, brilliantly designed to be space worthy, is still only capable of sub-light speeds. She's had time to mourn, truly mourn, for all the moments they lost; for her rescue and their proposals and the look in his eyes at their wedding. But she's also had time to think about the things she didn't know when he slipped Deke's ring on her finger, about the secret shame he had been hiding within. This time, it would be different. This time, he would have his kilt and all the help and support he could possibly need.





	Broken Loops and Mended Dreams

She doesn't notice the rumbling in her stomach as she boards the Chronicom vessel; she is too aware of the staleness of the air and the pulsing proximity of Fitz. The certainty and the awareness of his presence is something she will have to add to her growing pile of unanswered questions, but she's able to breathe for the first time since Mack told her Fitz was gone. 

She's had time. The Zephyr, brilliantly designed to be space worthy, is still only capable of sub-light speeds. She's had time to mourn, truly mourn, for all the moments they lost; for her rescue and their proposals and the look in his eyes at their wedding. But she's also had time to think about the things she didn't know when he slipped Deke's ring on her finger, about the secret shame he had been hiding within. This time, it would be different. This time, he would have his kilt and all the help and support he could possibly need.

She was worried there would be some argument between her and Enoch, but the drawing Polly coaxed out of Robin is all the argument they need. Enoch doesn't waste time escorting her to where Fitz lays frozen, doesn't forget to offer food and a ride home. 

(A small part of her is desperately thankful. They didn't plan on a journey this long.)

He keeps talking as he leads her into the room, but it's all background noise until she sees his pod. Fitz, in a pod, like they both were at the end of their beginning. He had reminded them more than once of the sacrifice he made to save her in the future, but it's not until she sees his blue, lifeless face that she fully realizes what he was willing to do to find her. On the way back, he will learn what she was willing to do to find him.

Whatever Enoch says as he meddles with the controls is just a baseline to the symphony playing in her chest: the syncopated beating of her heart and the melody of their whole life together. It's flashing before her eyes, but slowly, in long bursts, and suddenly there are things she forgot to think about before. She will let him propose—that's for sure. She will make sure they have a real wedding in an English forest. But she will wait a while before telling him about the daughter they had and the grandson they knew. As his skin turns from blue to pink, as he takes his first breath, she is grateful that Deke didn't tell them too much, just that they could stitch their lives together and create new life that would make their tapestry complete.

"Jemma?"

She had waited for the first light in his eyes the way they once waited for the sunset to spill over the horizon. They had been different people then. Now, there is no doubt that this bright new day is only theirs.

"Hi, Fitz. W-"

Her intent to keep herself together is drawn apart by the soft curve of his smile, and she finds herself falling into him, finds the tears running down her face and into his shirt. There had been a moment where Mack had dealt a greater blow than Ward, where she thought she had lost her love forever. She will never be able to thank Polly for pulling her out of that misery. She will never, never let this man out of her sight again.

"I was going to find you," he says. He is drowsy and confused, but his arms know their part. His hands know how to calm and to soothe her, even if they don't know why.

"I was going to find you in the future. The Lighthouse."

"We don't need the Lighthouse, Fitz," she says, finding the courage to raise her head to face him at the same time she relishes the privilege of saying his name. "The world isn't going to end anymore."

He looks down at her with furrowed brows. "It's not?"

She smiles, love leaking from the corners of her lips. "You were wrong."

She'll explain it all later. She'll tell him how he was a hero who saved them all, tell him about the time machine he devised and the sacrifices he made. She will spend a lifetime telling him.

Her hands find his beard, and his eyes close. She loves the way his expression softens, how she can lift the weight of the world from his shoulders. He bows his head and she presses her forehead to his.

"The future is ours now, Fitz."

She means it. She doesn't know how long they will have before the world is in danger again, but she knows how their story unfolds. She knows he is all the future she needs. She knows that she has known this for a very long time. 

They hold hands as they leave the pod behind, and soon he will will be enveloped in hugs from a team who loves him, soon she will put her head on his shoulder as they find their way home. Soon, they will embark on the greatest adventure of their lives.

She can't wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Casual reminder that Jemma's finally going to hear Fitz's proposal.


End file.
